If you want something to be different then you’ve got to do something different.
Most people have heard that one definition of insanity is to do the same things over and over again while expecting different results. We kind of chuckle when someone brings this to our attention, but rarely let the reality of the statement set in. Maybe we make one minor change in regards to the specific situation we are in at the moment, but the overarching truth of the revelation never really sets in.
Let me say it to you clearer: I know why you have the same patterns repeat in your life—it’s because you keep doing the same things. I know why you are getting frustrated with the same results everyone else has had—because you are doing it basically the same.
If you want things to be different then you’ve got to do something different.
If you are looking for a spouse and you keep ending up with the wrong person, then you’ve got to change something. Maybe you look in different places, maybe you don’t start out the relationship the same as all your other failed ones, maybe you work on yourself first (Oh! What a revolutionary idea!).
If you want your relationship with your parents/kids to be different, then change something in the way you relate to them. Maybe you honor them, maybe you listen before speaking, maybe you put your foot down when being walked over, maybe you change the way your parents did things with you—if it isn’t working then it might need changing.
The story is the same for whatever situation…your career, the way you handle finances, personal addictions, how you spend your time, how you treat your body, how you interact with people, etc.
More to the point of this blog, the same holds true for those of us in the Body of Christ. If we want our relationship with Christ to be stronger than it has been, then we’ve got to change something. If we want to reach the lost better than we are, then we’ve got to change something. If we want our small groups and worship teams and youth ministries to be more effective, then we’ve got to do something different. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the heart behind things changes, or the intentions, or the core values…what this DOES mean is that our approach has to differ if we want to see different results. This could mean the structure, the time, how it is presented, the prep work, who is involved, who is not involved, what is done, what is not done, the accountability, the follow-up, the marketing, the resources, expectation levels, focus levels, management style, focusing on the 'why’ instead of the 'what’ or the 'how', defining what success actually is, how honor is shown, refining details, becoming more transparent, sharing responsibility, being more mindful of who is representing your platform, etc.
We cannot assume that just because our vision is big and our heart is pure that things will turn out dandy. There are countless numbers of believers that have made those assumptions only to see the results fall short of what they envisioned. WE HAVE GOT TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT IF WE WANT THINGS TO BE DIFFERENT!!!
I’m praying for whoever reads this message to get honest with yourself and get some people around you who will be honest with you and push you towards whatever is in your heart to do. If God has put it there, then it is good, but a lot of times these things in your heart need some refining…sometimes you need help in the planning, or of how to get from Point A to Point Z. Pray a lot, ask the Holy Spirit for help, get great people around you, and plan to do something different. Do it!!! Amen.
